Potato Soup

My son stayed home from school today with a fever and cold. When I asked him what sounded good for dinner he said potato soup. I wanted to keep it simple and comforting but still fairly healthy. My daughter jumped in and helped me peel potatoes and sauté the veggies – I love that! At first, I was concerned that the soup was too simple, but once I added bacon bits and spicy pepper jack cheese to each bowl, it turned flavorful and delicious. We all enjoyed this potato soup, especially both of my kids. I am looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow.

Peel the potatoes then dice all of the veggies.

Heat a very large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy on both sides. Remove from the Dutch oven and place on a paper towel then cut into bits; set aside.Remove from the Dutch oven and place on a paper towel. Remove all but 1 teaspoon of bacon grease from the Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, and celery; cook, stirring often, for a couple of minutes. Add the minced garlic cayenne pepper, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the diced potato and chicken broth. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Add the milk then partially blend the soup with an immersion blender. Taste and re-season. Add the parsley and stir. Ladle into bowls then top with shredded cheese and bacon bits. Enjoy.

Side Note: If you would like your soup to be a little more decadent and creamy, add 1/2 cup of half and half or heavy cream.

Directions:

Heat a very large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy on both sides. Remove from the Dutch oven and place on a paper towel then cut into bits; set aside. Remove all but 1 teaspoon of bacon grease from the Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, and celery; cook, stirring often, for a couple of minutes. Add the minced garlic cayenne pepper, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the diced potato and chicken broth. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Add the milk then partially blend the soup with an immersion blender. Taste and re-season. Add the parsley and stir. Ladle into bowls then top with shredded cheese and bacon bits. Enjoy.

Side Note: If you would like your soup to be a little more decadent and creamy, add 1/2 cup of half and half or heavy cream.

About Pam

My name is Pam and I am a stay at home mom with two children who inspire me to be a better cook. I love using fresh ingredients, organic when possible, and I like to experiment with different tastes and textures. I try to keep my recipes lower in fat but still tasting great. My favorite hobbies are cooking, photography, and blogging so I decided to combine them and create a recipe blog. It has been a wonderful way to organize my recipes and share them at the same time.

Sorry he is sick! It sure is making the rounds though. Had it here too. Potato soup is a perfect meal for feeling kind of yuck! Your daughter is sure getting grown up! Nice that she loves to cook like her Mama!!
xo Kris

I hope your son is feeling better, Pam. I think it is so cute that he asked for Potato Soup and just as cute that your daughter jumped in to help:)

It sure looks good. I can’t believe I have never made Potato Soup. It always sounds so hearty. February happens to be Potato Lovers’ Month. Perhaps it is high time I make some soon!!! Thanks for sharing, Pam…Just right for such a snowy cold day:)

It sounds delicious. You can actually make cream based soups even more creamy by adding powdered nonfat milk at the end of the cooking. No one ever knows you didn’t use cream, and you don’t suffer the extra calories.
I love your picture of your daughter peeling the potatoes. She’s a great helper in the kitchen. Hope your son is feeling better soon.

I hope your son recovers swiftly. 🙂 There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of hearty soup. Potato soup is my all time favourite, almost makes me wish I had a cold just so my hubby would make it for me!